by Roman (Germany), CISL San Francisco student After three months in San Francisco it is time for me to go back home to my normal life. But before returning to Germany, I want to look back to an amazing summer in California. I started with a language course of four weeks at CISL in the...
Category: <span>Living & Traveling in San Francisco</span>
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San Francisco’s Neighborhoods
by CISL SF student, Cornelia Ineichen Growing up in a Swiss city with 80,000 habitants, moving to San Francisco was quite a big thing. When you’ve never lived here before, this venture can be confusing. This town is kind of weird if you have no idea what’s awaiting you. All in all, San Francisco is...
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Five New Year’s Resolutions for CISL SF Students
If you are studying at CISL San Francisco this year, we have some New Year’s Resolutions suggestions that will be fun to keep! Follow these guidelines and you will be an honorary San Franciscan! Five New Year’s Resolutions for CISL SF Students 1. Know your neighborhoods. The Mission? Financial District? Haight-Ashbury? Know your neighborhoods,...
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Don’t Call It Frisco!
by CISL SF student, Cornelia Ineichen Most of our world’s big metropolises have some kind of a nickname – e.g. “The Big Apple“, “The Windy City“ or “Sin City“. What about San Francisco? PARIS OF THE WEST Sales Promoters used this nickname around the late nineteenth century to attract tourists to visit San Francisco. But...
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Rent a car in SF with “Getaround!” It’s so easy!
By Cornelia Ineichen, CISL SF Student Usually, as a student in a foreign country, you don’t own a car there. Of course, San Francisco offers a lot of possibilities with public transport, taxis etc. But what about the freedom of driving pleasure? This is where Getaround comes into play. This online service allows you to...
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IELTS Speaking Test Part 2 Tips
Don’t stress about IELTS: master it! Follow these IELTS Speaking Test Part 2 tips to feel confident about your IELTS Speaking Test. IELTS Speaking Test Part 2 Tips Overview of the IELTS Speaking Part 2 Format Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking Test works in the following way: You are given a card, which has your prompt....
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Pancakes! The best (and tastiest) thing about weekends in the U.S.
Piled high, covered in berries, dripping with syrup, finished with chocolate . . . there are a million recipes for this breakfast favorite. While you are studying English in San Diego or San Francisco, be sure to check out some of the cities’ delicious pancake houses. The best pancakes in San Diego Richard Walker’s Pancake...
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CISL SF Student Activity: Visiting the Oakland Museum of California
When you think of the word “museum,” what is the first thing you think of? Did you think of the word “art,” like the art museums in San Diego’s Balboa Park? Did you think of “history,” like the Museum of Man San Diego? Or did you think “science,” like the Roger Fleet Science Center in...
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Fun ways to practice English while studying in SF and SD
CISL students receive hours of English conversation practice while in the classroom Monday through Friday, but the learning does not end once classtime does! The following list includes some of the many ways CISL students can practice English while studying in SF and SD. How many of these things have you tried? Fun ways to...
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Improving your IELTS, CAE, FCE, and TOEFL writing scores: thesis with predictors
Whether you are taking the IELTS, CAE, FCE, or TOEFL exam, you will be asked to write some form of essay or response. The writing assignment could be about a number of topics (and written in a number of styles), but there is one thing all writing prompts should have: a good thesis statement. Writing a...